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Real Estate and the Internet

admin — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 12:37:52 +0000

Hello and Welcome to Real Estate Channel TV. My name is Rey Ybarra and I host and produce this dynamic Internet On Demand program. Times have definately changed in this era of digital on demand programming, especially for the Real Estate industry. This industry has changed dramatically over the last few years and with this change many professionals in this multi billion dollar industry have had to change with it.

As we are now approaching the midway point of 2007, I am absolutely amazed at how quickly technology is reshaping how business is being done, especially over the Internet. As a TV talk show host, I have seen first hand the efficiency and quickness of digital programming. According to the NAR, 94% of all real estate transactions begin on the Internet. The remaining percentages are split up with newspaper ads and for sale signs listing properties.

This is an incredible shift! What this shift represents to me is how many people conduct business on the Internet. We are a society that is so pressed for time that time is now the most precious commodities we have now. You can say that now we all live in digital time created by the Internet. For the Real Estate entrepreneur, this can be a great advantage for you. The playing field has now been leveled and now you can compete with the fortune 500 and fortune 100 companies from the privacy of your home.

The disadvantage of this scenario is many small to medium business owners do not have the time to learn the basics of this fabulous technology for their businesses. And because they do not learn or take the time to do so, countless opportunities pass them by. Here is the major problem with this kind of approach and thinking. We have all heard of the saying, “If it ain’t broke, why fix it?’ This is the attitude and approach that simultaneously kills the progress of many businesses in this industry. Yet, for those individuals, businnesses and entrepreneurs who adapt and begin to learn the new skills and technology available to them, they can easily quadruple their businesses in a matter of months!

That is why I created Real Estate Channel TV! We produce the highest quality “On Demand” Internet TV programming featuring programming we produced from many of the best trade shows for the real estate industry in Southern California. This trade show industry is a billion dollar a year business and the Southern California market alone is a multi billion dollar a year industry. We also produce in studio TV interviews and stream those interviews on many of the best Internet Video distribution channels so you can access them 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from anywhere on the planet. We have also created our award winning Vlog with daily updates while creating a 2 way dialogue with you.

We will also be featuring our Webinar technology which is also dramatically altering how trainings and education is being facilitated ove the Internet. Yes, we left no stone unturned helping you to understand and become a Internet titan by watching and accessing our program. We will be producing an incredible amount of programming during the last half of the year along with creating some outstandig Webinars for your education in the highly competitive real estate industry. So watch and learn and let us know how we are doing. Real Estate Channel TV is for you!

By: Rey Ybarra

Metropolitan Real Estate Investors

admin — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 05:52:45 +0000

When you are interest in making an investment such as a real estate investment, for example you want to be able to talk to as many people that are “in the know” as possible. This may be more so in the case for individuals that are just starting out in this type of investment but it is applicable to any realty investor. This is what makes the Metropolitan Property Investors Association a real asset. This is a group that has been formed specifically for those interested in the investment of real estate.

It is a New Jersey based group and is a not-for-profit group. Their mandate is to be seen as a resource overall for realty investment. Being as property investment is not a new concept neither is the association. In fact, it dates way back to 1982 with a slightly different name. It is open to conjecture whether at this time this was a formal group or whether just a bunch of property investor enthusiasts just getting together to share information in common about real estate. In 1985, some old newsletters belonging to this organization surfaced and this was the first evidence of the Metropolitan Real Estate Investors association being a structured group. Although it was then known as Northern New Jersey Real Estate Investors Club, Inc. (N.N.J.R.E.I.C., Inc.). At that, time from a mere membership of twenty it swiftly grew to in excess of five hundred.

It is important to know the background of any association that you may be thinking of joining but perhaps more so when it comes to investments. There is money involved here and what you learn and share within the association can have a direct impact on your way of thinking when it comes to your property investments.

Although reading material and industry magazines are a valuable resource as well when it comes to realty investments in many ways organizations such as this one are perhaps more valuable in the sense that open discussions can be had by way of attending the regular meetings. Here you can depend on the expertise of a completely diversified group of individuals who perhaps have keen interests and knowledge in specific sectors of the realty investment portfolio.

It makes it most enjoyable when you can share your thoughts and concepts about something that is important to you with a group that has the same interests. It is often difficult to talk about investments with others that are not involved in the same venues as you because they lack the knowledge and quite often the interest in the subject. That is why belonging to a group such as the Metropolitan Real Estate Investors association such a beneficial one.

By: Mike Lautensack

Learn About The Lease with Option to Purchase agreement for Michigan

admin — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 05:29:42 +0000

A lease with option to purchase agreement for Michigan is becoming widely sought after as slack housing demand has forced sellers to get creative in moving their properties.

For those that do not know what a lease with option to pay agreement for Michigan is, it is simply a legal contract that is sometimes simply referred to as a “lease option”.

It is used by homeowners who, if they can’t sell their homes, decide to lease it with an option to buy. This is a powerful method that is being used a great deal in Michigan since it helps alleviate the burden of making mortgage payments by the seller, and allows them to get closer to fair market value for their house, while commanding above market rents during the lease term.

It is also beneficial for the buyer because they are now no longer throwing away money on rent. The lease with option to purchase agreement for Michigan allows the buyer to put down a small down payment (usually 2% to 3%) to get into the home, and grants him or her the right to exercise the option at the agreed upon time so that he or she can purchase the home.

Other terms are often used synonymously or in conjunction with “lease option.” Some of them are: rent to own, rent to buy homes, buy with owner financing, seller carryback, owner financed, seller financing, and so on.

With lease purchase transactions, no banks are involved….the seller assumes the role of the bank and payments are made directly to the owner.

A lease with option to pay agreement for Michigan contract may not be any different than some other states. Many legal contracts are basically identical from one state to another and therefore can be used in those states in which they are the same.

However, there are sometimes differences, but in the case of a lease with option to purchase agreement for Michigan it is probably pretty standard stuff. Of course, check with a real estate attorney.

These contracts will generally have straightforward clauses that most anyone can understand, such as:

“It is agreed that Optionee shall have the right (Option) to purchase said property from Optioner payable in cash or third party financing….at any time during the original term of the Option.”

Other clauses may state things like:

“If the Option is exercised during its term, all Option fees paid by the Optionee shall be applied towards the purchase price, Optionee’s closing costs, and/or down payment at Optionee’s choice.”

Sometimes investors will also use variations of the lease with option to purchase agreement for Michigan by getting a house under contract and then assigning their interest for a modest fee to the end buyer of the home who becomes the tenant-buyer.

The investor acts as a middleman by locating a motivated seller willing to work on terms and then finds a buyer who would like to lease option the house rather than rent.

The editors of this site, in fact, are real estate investors who do in lease options and lease option assignments.

If you have a home you’d like to sell via lease option or are a buyer looking to stop renting and want to own a house, please contact us.

Click here if you’re interested in selling your Michigan property.

By: Dan Ho

Real Estate Investing – The Best Place To Start

admin — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 21:03:09 +0000

The best place to start when you are investing in real estate is to learn and learn then learn some more. Learning everything you can about investing can help avoid problems down the road. Buying real estate is a major decision and it would stand to reason that it should be a well researched decision. I have seen investors that wanted to get into the business quickly make terrible decisions. Most of the time they over pay because they want to get into the game right away. I understand the feeling that if you do not get a property quickly you are losing money. Let me say that there are many deals out there and there is always a new deal right around the corner.

The first thing I would learn about if I were starting over today would be everything that I could by reading everything that I could find. Rss feeds are a great way to get new thought provoking topics and articles that you could research further or just gain the knowledge from the article. The great thing about subscribing to a Rss feed for real estate is that you can be exposed to so many things that you may not have ever thought of on your own. I still subscribe to many feeds on real estate after 18 years investing. Sometimes I read something new and other times a article may just get me thinking about something. Either way it is a win for me as a real estate investor.

After reading feeds and other sources of information it will be time to apply your new knowledge and go out on the open market. The biggest tip that I can pass on to you is that there is a limited amount of time in the day and you can’t learn every market in your area. It is better to become a expert in one area than knowing a little in a lot of areas. Most counties have public records on the Internet with sales prices of properties in a area. I used to take a Sunday drive with a list of home sales. There is no substitute for a good drive by to really get the feel for a neighborhood. As a investor any time is a good time to learn. Anything that you learn may end up making you a lot of money in the future.

By: Craig A Williams

Raising Finance For Real Estate Investments

admin — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 20:42:18 +0000

Real estate investments are a profitable business, if you are equipped with basic knowledge of the game; it is not hard to generate lots of profit by being a real estate investor.

So you have selected a piece of land or property, after doing some hard searching. Now all you need to go is buy that land. It’s not that easy, as real estate transactions generally include large amount of money, hence it is inevitable that you find a financer.

In order to invest in real estate, one has to have the backing of a financer. Whether the lender is a financial institute or a private lender, they all need some Pre-Requisites.

Finding a financer isn’t easy in this time and age, as the world is still recovering from a recession and most of Americans have bad credit scores. So who will be bold enough to give you loan, well there are banks and private lenders, willing to finance real estate deal, such as yours, you just need to do the following things.

The first question that any financer is going to ask you is your credit worth and history. They are going to inquire about your income, assets and debt among other things. The financer will of course will firstly check whether you are capable enough to repay him. Make sure you carry documental proof which shows your financial steadiness. More payable debts, more stable are your financial position, simple as that. The location and type of your property, helps or create difficulties in getting a loan, as a good location, which has the potential to reap benefits in future can assist you in getting you a loan. Location where in future the market value of the property can increase will get a loan comfortably. The type of property also makes a difference, what is the size of property and amount of investment you are putting in it affects in getting a loan. If you are able to convince to the lender that the investment he is making is safe and sound, which involves small amount of risk. The better you persuade your financer, the easier it is for you to get a loan. You have to assure the financer that chances of your property going default is low. To put weight in your statement, show him your previous record of investments, if available. The purpose of your property also plays a vital role, in getting you a loan. If the property is of commercial use, then the financer will also look in the business you are investing in. If you are into the real estate investing for some time then be prepared to show previous documents regarding investments, and their results.

No matter who the lender is, they will look into some of the necessary details, which are mentioned above. The correct thing to do is look for a financer whose ideas and aims converge with yours, so that you can develop a good working relationship with him.

By: Mike Lautensack

Buying Probate Real Estate – Why is Good Information So Hard To Come By?

admin — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 20:16:22 +0000

My first attempt to learn about buying probate real estate at deep discounts was to a attend a seminar held at a local hotel. Oh, the seminar was free all right, but the actual training course—as I would learn later— cost multi thousands of dollars. Yikes!

Undeterred, I thought I’d circumvent the seminar route in favor of buying a probate real properties ebook online. The author was supposedly very experienced in buying probate properties, and, after all, $59.95 sounded a little closer to what I wanted to spend.

What a disappointment! The ebook had a real homemade look and feel about it, and for the most part, detailed the person’s life experiences including some sob story about how the passing of a relative taught them about probate real estate. You know, personal stories and reminiscences are fine if they actually teach you something!

Now, I live in California. Not exactly a small, insignificant state. What advice did I receive from this probate ebook? Well, it basically said that in California they “do things differently.” Jeeze, the author was pretty much telling me he knew nothing about buying probate property in California and that for me, the ebook was worthless! I had a good mind to get my money back.

Oh, and what about the minor question as to financing probate properties? The only suggestion was to get a “hard money” loan—which is notoriously one of the riskiest ways to finance ANYTHING!

Folks, I mention this only by way of telling you that good information on buying probate properties is hard to come by even if you have experience as a licensed Realtor® and real estate appraiser as I do.

I learned what I know through a millionaire friend of mine that told me the all of the ins and outs of the probate process. I also had to do a ton of legwork gathering information on how probate real estate is handled by local municipalities, the internet, local reporting services, and probate attorneys.

All I can say with regard to buying probate real estate products is to choose wisely, because you may not learn anything more than you know now, or worse, pay a bundle to do it!

By: N. Paul Johnson

Learn About Buying Mortgage Cash Flow Notes

admin — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 20:22:06 +0000

There are numerous programs that provide tips on how to find and buy cash-flow notes. You are probably wondering how do I get started and take advantage of the profits that can be made in the cash flow note business?

More people are becoming interested in how to buy and profit from mortgage, real estate, private and promissory notes. Also, how to get started in the cash-flow note business. What is real estate cash flow notes? It is referring a real estate mortgage, promissory, or private loan notes to a buyer and earn cash.

Why would a person want to sell their note? Different reasons and circumstances will motivate a seller. For instance, the seller may need a lump sum of cash now and don’t want to wait for the loan to mature. The note holder may have not wanted the note in the first place and the note holder may not know that they can sell the note. These are just a few reasons but each not seller will have their reason for selling.

Here are some tips if you are thinking about getting into the cash flow note business. if you wanted to be a success in any field you would do your research. The you would look for a mentor who is has experience in the note business. This could save you the pitfalls in the cash-flow note business. This would be smart on your part and it could save you time and money. Furthermore, you would need a system that is in place that could train, support and help you succeed in the cash flow note business.

A crucial element for your success in the cash Flow business is the ability to contact the company for answers to your questions. Finally, you would want to know how to get started and what to do first. You would want a system that would take you through the steps that would lead to your success.

By: Laurence H

Learn How to Locate the Owner of an Ugly House and Put $5000 in Your Pocket Within 30 Days

admin — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 18:05:04 +0000

As an aspiring re investor you will have to learn how to locate the owners of ugly houses that will put several thousands of dollars in your pocket. This is so critical to your success if you can’t find the owner you can’t buy any houses and you won’t be successful. Many new investors do well until they get to the part where they have to talk with the owners.

You may be wondering how to find the ugly house owners, where to go to find the contact information of the owner, do I ask the neighbors, should I send the owner a letter? How do I find the owners of these houses? The fear of rejection, hesitation and procrastination stops most newbies from contacting the owners. You don’t have to be one of them. I will tell you exactly what to do and what to say to them.

Once you get the address of an ugly house that looks like the idea house to pursue you can get the name and address of the owner several ways. Public records are free and available and the easiest way to get this information. One source is to pull up the county property appraisal district website. The other source is the county tax assessors’ record website. You will find on both sites the property address and also the name and address of the owner. This will provide you with what you need to contact these ugly house owners.

Being that you have to know what to do once you locate the owner of an ugly house there’s more information than what I could cover in this article. In my real estate investment training program I go into detail on what to look for on these websites that will target the most motivated sellers of ugly houses. You need to learn the short cuts vital to you being able to put $3000- $5000 in your pocket within the next 30 days.

By: Darrell Muhammad

Why Lease Options Are Excellent For Real Estate Investing

admin — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 07:10:59 +0000

As the real estate market evolves and changes, there are fewer mortgage loans available and fewer people who qualify as the factors for qualification become more stringent. Having less than perfect credit puts, a cramp on the ability to obtain the necessary financing for a traditional home purchase, but that does not mean that fewer people want to settle into a home and become a homeowner. Real estate investors are learning that they can benefit from this situation and make a profit by offering nontraditional means of obtaining a home to those with credit that is not well established or is less than satisfactory to a mortgage lender.

Lease purchase options, or rent to own homes, are a great source of income for the creative real estate investor who wishes to make money while helping those who cannot get into a home with their own credit to realize their dreams of owning a home. Lease purchase options work much like a leasing a vehicle, only on larger terms. It benefits the tenant buyer who cannot obtain a mortgage to purchase the home by offering them the opportunity to build their credit and make the choice to purchase later while also assisting the investor by maintaining an additional source of income for the duration of the lease period.

When a car is leased, there is a nonrefundable deposit paid to the dealership that equals a percentage of the car’s value. This is also done in a lease purchase or rent to own agreement and is referred to as the Nonrefundable Option Payment, securing the tenant buyer’s ability to choose whether or not to purchase the home at the end of the lease contract agreement. As with a vehicle, there is a lease contract signed in which the tenant buyer agrees to make a payment of a certain amount each month for a predetermined length of time, usually 12-24 months. This can be done in a manner that includes payments to be credited toward the purchase of the house or not, depending on how you want to set up the lease.

Finally, at the end of a car lease, the driver has the option to finance the remainder of the “balloon payment” owed on the vehicle in order to purchase it or to turn it back over to the dealership. In real estate, when working with a rent to own or lease option contract, this is referred to as the Option to Purchase contract, in which the tenant is given exclusive rights to purchase the real estate property without you offering it to the highest bidder first without obligating them to purchase when the lease is up.

If the option contract was signed so that the payments made during the lease period were credited toward the purchase of the home, the tenant buyer will need to obtain a mortgage loan equivalent to the remainder of the purchase price originally agreed upon. If there were no rental credits, the tenant buyer will need to obtain the entire purchase amount.

Lease purchase options and rent to own housing are excellent ways for a real estate investor to make a lot of money because there are three different sources of money coming in, all of which add up to a sum greater than the original investment by far. You put little money into the purchase, and in exchange, you receive an up-front payment, monthly installments, and finally a purchase payment equal to an amount greater than you paid.

By: Charles W. Moore

Real Estate Investment Clubs – Should I Join?

admin — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 06:35:29 +0000

“If you are interested in becoming involved with real estate investment, joining a real estate investment club can be a great first step. Although you will likely be expected to pay membership fees and may have to pay additional dues into the club, there are many advantages to joining a real estate club.

Get Educated by a Real Estate Investment Club

One of the biggest benefits associated with joining a real estate investment club is the fact that you can learn a great deal about real estate through your membership. You won’t sit around and read books together at these clubs. Rather, you can get real life education by talking with other members and learning from their experiences. As a result, you can implement some of the same steps they took to find success in real estate. At the same time, you can avoid some of the mistakes they had to endure.

By talking with other investors that are members of the real estate investment club, you can get meaningful advice that is specific to your needs. These tips and tidbits if information can prove to be invaluable down the road.

Make Connections with a Real Estate Investment Club

Another perk to being a member of a real estate investment club is the fact that it allows you to network with other professionals. This can lead to finding better deals and can also help you avoid scams. In addition, other members can suggest specific people for you to do business with. For example, you might learn through your real estate investment club that there are one or two inspectors or property managers in your area that are particularly good to work with.

Find Partners within a Real Estate Investment Club

When you join a real estate investment club, you will also find yourself surrounded by like-minded individuals. As such, you might find one or more members that are interested in partnering with you so you can both get rich off of real estate investment. By combining your resources, you may be able to achieve a level of success that you could not have achieved on your own.

Save Money on Your Investments

Since many of the other members of the real estate investment club most likely own one or more investment properties, you might also be able to get a good deal on a piece of real estate. Often times, the members of these clubs bypass working with a realtor and sell their real estate directly to other members of the clubs. This helps the other member avoid paying a commission and helps you purchase a property for less. It is a win-win situation for everyone involved.

Grow Your Business by Joining a Real Estate Investment Club

Even if you are not interested in investing in real estate, you still might be interested in joining a real estate investment club. If you have a business that is related to real estate in any way, such as a landscaping business or a contractor business, you might want to consider joining one of these clubs. After all, many of the members are purchasing “fixer uppers” as an investment and will need someone to help improve the value of the property for resale.

There are many reasons to join a real estate investment club, even if you are not interested in investing in property. If you are looking to make money from property in any way, joining one of these clubs is a very good idea.”

By: Kinan I Beck